SKINNED!

Pack Pounds RG3 and the ‘Skins on a Record Day

It was never that close.

The Green Bay Packers mopped the floor with the visiting Washington Redskins on Sunday by a final count of 38- 20, a score that gives the thought that he ‘Skins gave a valiant performance.

They did not.

Aaron Rodgers and the powerful Packer offense found every seam, every hole, and every mismatch as they stampeded over Robert Griffin III en route to team and NFL records. Playing in the very noisy, very loud new and improved by some 7,000 odd more seats in the South End Zone madhouse known as Lambeau Field Rodgers and the Packers gave their rabid hometown supporters much to cheer for the entire game.

For the day Rodgers tied the all-time Packers record of 480 yards in one game, a record he shares with former

backup Matt Flynn. Rookie RB Eddie Lacy went out with a concussion after his first run of 190 yards when Brandon Merriweather delivered a knockout blow with the top of his helmet to Lacy’s jaw. Lacy left with a concussion and turned the reins over to relegated-to-backup-status James Starks, who came in and hung 132 yards rushing that included a nifty 32 jaunt for a TD, the first Packer runner to gain over 100 yards in 3 years. And, in a bit or irony, Starks sent the same Merriweather out of the game when Merriweather attempted another crown of the helmet leading tackle only to have the sturdy Starks stun him in his tracks. As Merriweather lowered

his head Starks lowered his shoulder and lowered the boom. Merriweather left the game a victim less of Starks brute strength than of his own recklessness. While Merriweather’s hit on Lacy did not draw a flag it will most certainly come under review and in addition to the headache Merriweather received and the hands, make that the shoulder of Starks he can expect his wallet to be hit as hard as well. The league may find itself a tad red-faced explaining why, after an off season that included a point of emphasis on penalizing runners who lead with the crown of the helmet, no flag was thrown on the play.

As far as records go it is the first time in Packer and NFL history that a team had a QB throw for over 400 yards and a RB go over 125 yards rushing. Rodgers and Starks have now accomplished what Starr and Taylor and Hornung or Favre and Levens and Green could not. The game is one for the books and the Redskins still have yet to have their team show up for a first half yet at this early juncture of the season.

One thing about this year’s Pack is the sense of team they seem to share, Greg Jennings excluded. Last week James Jones was the forgotten man in the attack. By contrast the Dolphins Mike Wallace loudly took to the press to whine about his sparse targets and yet Jones said afterwards “It’s a long season. I’ll get my looks. With the offense we have just because I didn’t get any (looks against San Francisco) doesn’t mean anything.”

How right he was.

Jones became Rodgers’ favorite target on the day racking up a career high 178 yards on 11 catches. His

attempt to lay out and score was thwarted when the ball squirted from his hand on contact bouncing of the pylon and giving Washington a temporary stay of execution. At the time the score was 31 – 0 and had Jones scored it would have made the halftime count 38 – 0.

Mike Shanahan has to be losing his mind. His ‘Skins have failed to show up for a first half yet this year. After spotting Washington a 7 – 0 lead last week the Eagles essentially did exactly what the Packers did in running over, under, around and through the defenseless Skins in the first half.

Initially Washington’s D looked to be up to the task. Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan got to Rodgers early with a couple of sacks but the offensive line tightened up from that point. RT Don Barclay was victimized by Kerrigan’s bull rush but settled in after that. He and rookie LT David Bahktiari gave Rodgers more than enough time to find more than enough open receivers. The menacing Orakpo was seen screaming at his mates on the sidelines in a futile attempt to stem the Packers push.

The run/ pass balance Mike McCarthy has been looking for paid huge dividends. With Starks finally flashing the form that held him in such high regard early in his career Starks reestablished himself in the backfield after a camp that McCarthy called “The best camp he [Starks] has had since he’s been here.” At one point Starks was considered largely on the bubble to even make the team after the Pack drafted Lacy and Jonathon Franklin. But when Lacy went down Starks took full advantage.

By showing the slashing, bruising running style he possesses Starks found seams, lanes and holes and looked like the thoroughbred that led the Pack rushing attack to the Super Bowl in ’10. Starks hit the holes with vision and deciveness and in the process opened up the airwaves for Rodgers to work his magic. And the more yardage he gained the more the Skins were forced to counter by dropping an extra safety down to try to corral him.

But in the pick your poison game the Packers want to play when Rodgers looked up and saw that the Skins

were playing a one high safety D after Merriweather went out the air was raining footballs. Jones was not the only beneficiary of Rodgers’ strikes. Randall Cobb also had a career best 9 catches and 128 yards with a TD while Jordy Nelson “only” had 66 yards – but 2 TD’s. Jermichael Finley was a mismatch nightmare by grabbing 6 balls and a ridiculously easy TD when Rodgers played go up and get it with the big fella over the top of a much shorter DB.

Overlooked in the blowout will be the Packers defense. On paper the stat lines will lie and say that the Packers gave up too many yards and were soft.

Poppycock.

The defense was swarming in the first half and kept RG3 looking very docile as they closed off the running lanes he exploited so deftly in his rookie campaign last year. CB Davon House blitzed the edge to sack RG3 and the suddenly reborn Mike Neal, the hybrid DE/OLB, had his first INT of his career. Last year’s rushing sensation Alfred Morris was bottled up and throttled and could not find the time or the space to contribute. Although his stat line shows 107 yards, 1 TD and an 8.2 yards/carry average Morris was largely average and inconsequential in this one.

Washington’s points came long after the Packers had pulled out of the station. After a 31 – 0 halftime lead it became obvious that protecting the lead and his players was paramount on McCarthy’s mind. After the season opening defeat at the hands of the 49ers in a game that Packers know they could have won the Pack found their stride. Seattle put the wood to SF and thoroughly beat on and beat up the Niners on Sunday night 29 – 3. In the early polls the Packers look to be right in the mix with the big dogs of the NFC while Seattle will undoubtedly jump high in the latest power rankings.

Rodgers is back already on another MVP track. His consistency has been almost unparalleled. Week after

week he goes out and gets the job done, doesn’t turn the ball over and in his regime the Packers have seldom been out of a game. That kind of consistency draws attention. Witness the hapless Redskins, one of whom turned to the bench on Sunday with his arms outstretched, palms to the sky whose very body language said “What do you want us to do?”

With Starks pounding the ground there was little the Skins could do. The running game only makes Rodgers that much more dangerous. When Rodgers first caught Merriweather inching towards the line early in the contest he hit Cobb in full flight over the middle on a slant, and Cobb took it the rest of the way unmolested. This was right after Cobb took a swing pass and stepped ever so gingerly out of bounds at the 17 negating that touchdown.

The defense won’t look as good on paper as they actually did on the field. RG3 ended up with over 300 yards passing, but they came at a time when all the Redskins could do was to throw, throw and throw some more. The Skins had to all but abandon their desire to run the ball in a vain attempt to get back into the game. Washington has not showed up at all in the first half this year; last week the Eagles moved the ball at will and now the Packers took the page from Chip Kelly’s book and did the same. If Mike Shanahan and Co. can’t stop the surge the Skins’ goose may be cooked by Thanksgiving.

To be fair Griffin is coming back after major knee reconstructive surgery, and to be cruel defenses will now hunt

him down like a wounded animal. Taking the run away from RG3 takes a huge element out of his game. The Packer defense moved RG3 around in the pocket, never allowing him to find a rhythm or tempo. Ryan Pickett batted a ball down at the line and the sight of Griffin’s helmet rolling across the turf after being sandwiched made for a lasting image of what was to be a very long day and longer flight back home for Washington. RG3 still looks as if he has rust all over his game, and his preseason declarations of “Don’t worry about me; I’ll be ready” are ringing hollow. As the NFL has become less about preparation for the season and more about looking at the imports, keeping the stars from injury, and the almighty dollar Washington has taken on the look of a team that is going to try to wing it and find their game in the game.

For Rodgers and the Packers the game is right there. “I didn’t think it was my best game” said Rodgers afterwards. Randall Cobb chipped in by saying “We can play better. We know we can play better.”

That particular notion is frightening. If the Packers can follow through it will be a fun ride for Packer Nation.